Down with the Kop!

Lamps mobbed by team mates after scoring his 100th Premier League goal

Yesssss!! Chelsea are back on top of the league table after *poor* old Liverpool lost 2-1 at WHL thanks to a late Pavyluchenko strike. At FT, Chelsea had demolished Sunderland 5-0 so the pressure was on the Reds to win the game to reclaim the top spot. Unfortunately, despite dominating most of the game, Lady Luck just did not smile on them and well, the rest is history.

Oh and Frankie scored his 100th league goal with a diving header which was Chelsea's 4th of the game, the first midfielder in Chelsea's history to reach that wonderful milestone. Cheers Frank, you're ace! :)

Arsene Wenger must be in serious trouble now. Losing to the likes of STOKE at the Brittania?? 2-0 down thanks to those stupid headers from Delap's throw-ins before Clichy scored a late consolation. My Goodness. That's already 3 games lost and it's only November. And losing to small teams like Hull, Fulham and now Stoke. And bear in mind that Arsenal hasn't even played any of the Big Four yet, save for D-Day next week: Man Utd at the Emirates. Arsenal now have lost the total amount of games they lost in the entire 2007/2008 season! Time to get back to the drawing board Mr. Wenger. In Arsene we trust? Not so sure anymore. I thought the Gunners were fantastic last season, save for the downward spiral after that horror show at Birmingham. But Wenger's young guns seem to be blowing hot and cold more and more this season. Their super demolition of Fenerbache in Europe was followed by that 4-4 disaster at the Emirates and now the loss at the Brittania. What's going on? Is inexperience the major reason for their inconsistency or is their something more at fault? It was reported after the derby that there was a major dressing room bust up, with everybody blaming everybody and a majority of fingers pointed at a lack of leadership (hello Gallas!). Conveniently for him, he was ruled out with a hamstring yesterday so Toure was given the armband. Much as I think he's a talented player, he's no captain material. Stoke's physical approach and imposing aerial presence rattled their defence and it shows that there was a lack of real leadership and inspiration not just at the back line, but in the whole team. Someone inspirational who can lift the player's morale, and tell them to keep on going when they're 1-0 or 2-0 down. Like John Terry and Frank Lampard at Chelsea.

But the problems at Arsenal lie much deeper than that. Forget the lack of a captain. Their erratic behaviour means that the margin for error is rapidly diminishing and Wenger knows that if they are to even harbour the faintest hopes of wresting the crown from Old Trafford, his sides cannot afford any more slip-ups. That means that they have to win all their remaining games if possible, which include visits to Anfield, Old Trafford and yes, Stamford Bridge. Fat chance? I don't know, but somehow I don't fancy them this year. Maybe 5 years from now. But this year, expect a tight 3-legged horse race all the way until May.

And Cesc Fabregas? How long can Wenger hold on to him? Earlier on, Fabregas has already bemoaned the lack of trophies in the Emirates cabinet and even went on to imply that the current team were too inexperienced to win anything this season. Having tasted Euro success with Spain in the summer, Fabregas is hungry for more and I don't blame him for being dissapointed for having only the FA Cup 2005 medal to show for all his time in North London. One of the most highly sought central midfielders in the world, it is possible that if their trophyless drought continues, a player of Fabregas's calibre wouldn't hesistate to move back to his native country. Yes, he's signed until 2012 but will he see out the contract? Not unless Wenger does something about their predicament, and fast. If he signs for Real or Barcelona, he has a realistic chance of winning La Liga and he still gets to play in the Champions League.

Change the squad? They most certainly will have to wield the chequebook come January. The squad lacks depth, particularly in midfield and central defense. Cesc Fabregas needs an experienced midfield partner, to take some of the weight off his shoulders. Last season he had Flamini, Hleb and Rosicky pulling the strings in midfield with him. With the departures of his two best friends to Serie A and Rosicky sidelined with a long-term knee injury, the burden has fallen heavily on Fabregas to be the central cog in Arsenal's midfield. Denilson, Diaby and Ramsey are still young and inadequate to partner Cesc, and Wenger knows that. Luring Gareth Barry or Xabi Alonso would be an ideal prospect but will Wenger make it happen? And in defense, they certainly need a big, strong centre-back to challenge Gallas, Toure and Silverstre for places in the squad; someone who has strong aerial presence and can win tackles like John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. Someone to marshall the troops during set-pieces and win headers. And between the sticks, I sincerely believe they need some new blood. Almunia has certainly improved a lot from last season, going so far as to be nominated for UEFA goalkeeper of the year but should he get injured, sub Fabianski is hardly able replacement having almost no league games under his belt.

Having said all that, I sincerely hope this serves as a wake-up call to Wenger and co to DO SOMETHING before they sink deeper and deeper. And RVP got sent off for the stupidest tackle I've EVER seen on Sorensen. In a mini-moment of madness that proved to be costly; RVP fouled Sorensen as he was collecting the ball for a goal kick. That means he will definitely miss the game next week against the Devils. More woe for Wenger.

I parked today. By myself. Once. Without *enjin mati*. Yes, I'm so proud.